Van Den Bergh Foods Co., Division of Conopco, Inc.

Johannes Henricus Schuurman

Podutoori Ravinder Reddy

Robert A Madsen

Freek Reckweg

Bart Barmentlo

The process for pairing a fat continuous spread having from about 30 about 80% fat and having a trans fatty acid level of less than about 10% is described. An interesterified hardstock as described herein is combined with liquid oil to form a fat phase. The fat phase and an aqueous phase are combined to form an emulsion which is crystallized to form substantially beta prime crystals in the C-unit. The beta prime containing crystal containing emulsion is the emulsion exiting the initial A-unit at a throughput of the emulsion through the entire production line of x kilograms per hour, a residence time of the emulsion in the crystallizing (C-unit) of y minutes and the recirculation flow rate of the emulsion recirculated into the cooled partially crystallized emulsion of 0.2 x to 10 x to form the fat continuous product.

Recirculation process for a fat continuous spread

A fat continuous stick having up to 80% of a fat containing less than 10% trans fatty acids prepared by a process comprising the steps of selecting a structuring amount of an interesterfied hardstock fat to make a stick product, combining the hardstock to form a fat phase, introducing an aqueous phase and the fat phase into a scrapped surface heat exchanger to form a cooled emulsion having an exit temperature of less than 20&deg; C., then passing the cooled emulsion into a crystallizing unit (C-unit) having an exit temperature of C-unit greater than the exit temperature of the emulsion and having a shear rate of less than 1800 rpm to aid in forming a finer dispersion and to initiate crystallization in the cooled emulsion. The emulsion with the fat crystals is then introduced into a second heat exchanger unit having a temperature range of at least 2-8&deg; C. below the exit temperature of the emulsion from the first exchanger unit wherein the residence time of the process is less than ten minutes. The hardstock fat is interesterfied as described herein.

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Laurel, MD, United States of America

Johannes Henricus Schuurman